New SoCal 52 class among Hoag Cup invitations

by Rich Roberts on 21 Apr 2009
Invitations are out for the 2009 Invitational Regatta for the Hoag Cup, which will feature the debut of the Southern California 52 Class Championship series for TP52s.

The June 12-14 event, organized and hosted by Hoag Hospital and the Balboa and Newport Harbor Yacht Clubs to benefit the Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute, is for large and fast monohulls adaptable to inshore or offshore racing. Five races are planned through Friday, Saturday and Sunday on windward- leeward courses close to shore.

Four or more TP52s plan to compete alongside traditional ocean racers, including ULDB 70s and the legendary Ragtime.

Currently aligned for the series are Ernie Pennell's Cazador (the former Rosebud), Jim Madden's Stark Raving Mad V (former Mean Machine), Andy Rasdal's Valkyrie (former Quantum/Lexus) and Viva la Vida (former Pisco Sour), available for charter.

Rasdal, a San Diego businessman who switched from racing sports cars to sailboats just a few years ago, sailed a conventional boat until acquiring Valkyrie a week before racing it in the Newport Harbor YC's race to Cabo San Lucas in March. He came away raving about 'the exhilarating planing and surfing performance of the boat in 18-plus knot winds.'

He added, 'I don't think anyone onboard has stopped smiling yet!'

Non-sailors may get a sense of that watching the Hoag Regatta free from the end of the Newport Pier adjacent to the starting and finishing area of the race course, or from the Hornblower spectator boat that will follow the fleet on Saturday, June 13. Reservations are $125 per person and include lunch and beverages provided on board, along with commentary from a sailing expert.

The SoCal 52 Class has announced establishment of a championship series of five inshore and offshore events starting with the Hoag Regatta and followed by a tentative schedule of the Long Point Race Week from Newport Beach to Santa Catalina Island in August, a SoCal 52 Weekend in October, Little Ensenada from San Diego in October and the Hot Rum Series at two locations in November and December. All will count toward the season championship.

The TP52, originally known as the Transpac 52, was conceived in 2000 by a consortium of naval architects involved with the Transpacific Yacht Race to create a simplified, all-round boat suitable for both distance and inshore buoy racing. It's not a one-design class but one adhering to a 'box rule' of limitations allowing, as many have, to change sail area, displacement and other items to optimize the boat’s handling and performance to meet conditions in various locations around the world.

Its extraordinary success is measured in the popularity of the Audi MedCup series in Europe in recent years.

The TP52's appeal is a mix of performance, simplicity, versatility and inherent stability. It has no canting keel or running backstays to switch with every tack or jibe, and the class standard is a non-overlapping fractional jib.

Rasdal said, 'The TP52 class represents the leading edge of design and construction technology in purpose-built racing yacht design and construction, but at the same time is engineered to be relatively simple to sail fast. [It] seemed like a perfect fit for our 'Med-like' Southern California wind and sea conditions. Equally as important, the TP52 is a great all-round athlete well suited for our combination of inshore buoy and offshore distance racing, including the 2009 Hoag Regatta and 2009 Transpac Race.'

In order to promote TP52s of all ages, the SoCal 52 class will be racing under IRC, an international measurement rule. The intention is to encourage participation from TP52s from all over the globe and to utilize an established measured rating rule. More information on the SoCal 52 class may be found at www.socal52.org or by contacting Rasdal at 858.699.3878 or andyrasdal@gmail.com

Hoag Hospital Foundation is the event's overall manager and also its beneficiary. Newport Harbor Yacht Club (NHYC) and Balboa Yacht Club (BYC) are combining resources to manage the races and on-the-water activities. Proceeds from the three- day event will benefit Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute and will be added to the more than $700,000 raised during the Regattas in 2005 and 2007. The $400,000 generated in 2007 is believed to be the largest amount ever raised by a single charitable sailing event.

About Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian is a 498-bed, not-for-profit, acute care hospital located in Newport Beach, Calif. Fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and designated as a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Hoag offers a comprehensive mix of health care services, including Centers of Excellence in cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, orthopedics and women’s health. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s most preferred hospital for the past 13 consecutive years. And for an unprecedented 13 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as the county’s best hospital in a local newspaper survey